Ears of Fury
by Dawnrider
Summary: Kagome tries to thank Inuyasha for being thoughtful and it backfires terribly. Posted for Inuvember - Day 10 Free Day on Tumblr


With a deep scowl on his face, he waited. Inuyasha sighed. It felt like he was always waiting nowadays. Waiting for her to come back from her time, waiting for her to take her stupid baths, waiting for rumors of the remaining jewel shards, waiting for the bouzu and tajiya to leave them alone… "Keh, this is stupid," he grumbled. While he was incredibly tempted to go through the well, snatch her up and drag her back, he knew she'd probably sit him until his back broke. Well… not really, but he didn't want to risk it. She was always in a better mood if he let her return on her own and there was usually more ramen in it for him if he waited rather than going after her to haul her ass back. Though she did seem to enjoy his presence if he just came to spend time with her and her family before bringing her through the well as opposed to lugging her over his shoulder without asking. "No, I told her I'd wait on this side and that's what I'm going to do," he told himself with conviction. His determination to follow his promise was hard and strong… for another hour. "What the hell is taking that woman so damn long?" he growled to himself, standing and looking for all intents and purposes like he planned to leap into the well.

As he set one foot on the wooden edge, a bright light shot from the well, signaling that the magic within was working. Startled by the suddenness and timing, Inuyasha stumbled away from the well and landed unceremoniously on his ass. The enticing and sweet scent of the girl he'd been waiting nearly three days for wafted out of the bottom of the well and he heard the sounds of her struggles with her pack. Rolling his eyes as she muttered something unladylike he crept to the edge and glanced down. _Looks like her bag is heavier than usual,_ he thought with a smirk. "You could help me instead of treating me like a fish in a bowl," she snapped in irritation without looking up at him. A frown knit his brow when he noticed she'd sensed him before he'd even said anything but he grunted his agreement and lowered himself down the ladder he'd built so he wouldn't activate the well and send himself five hundred years into the future. Lifting Kagome's backpack was a hell of a lot easier for him and he slung it over his shoulder effortlessly. His next goal was to get Kagome out too and so the hanyou looped his arm around her waist, launching the both of them out of the well. "Thank you," she said softly when he'd set her on her feet in the grass surrounding the well.

Thinking she was reaching for her bag, Inuyasha turned away from her reach only to be startled when she gently touched the very tip of his right ear, a small smile on her lips. His golden eyes widened and he gasped. Dropping her backpack entirely, his hands flew up to mash his ears to his head, protecting them from further touching despite the discomfort this brought them. The poor hanyou was shocked and terrified by the innocent touch but even more by the reaction such a small caress had brought on. Without a word he shot off into the woods, leaving Kagome to stand in silent confusion by the well. He didn't hear her cry out to him or smell her tears as he continued to tear his way into the forest.

She couldn't believe the way he'd reacted. She'd touched his ears before… Well, maybe not while he was awake, now that she thought about it. Was he so offended by it that he'd run away from her? What if he didn't come back? He could be skittish sometimes but he'd never taken off like that before. Inuyasha had looked so startled, so confused. Maybe she really had overstepped her bounds too many times and this time had been too much for him to handle. Kagome wanted desperately to run after him but knew that he was too far for her to catch up to at this point and trying to talk to him would probably only make it worse. With a deep breath, the young miko resigned herself to being ignored or yelled at for the next few days… provided Inuyasha came back to do either. She swallowed the lump in her throat, wiped her eyes and made her way to the village, her pack slung heavily over her shoulder. Shippo was the first to notice her return, leaping off the porch of Kaede's hut and into her arms. Her backpack dropped into the dust near her feet as she caught the kitsune against her. "Kagome, you're back!" he cried happily while nuzzling himself against her stomach.

"Hai Shippo-chan. How've you been?" she asked distractedly. Her mind seemed to have left with the hanyou into the forest and the insistent tugging on her shirt alerted her to the fact that her adopted son was trying to get her attention. "Hmm?"

"Where's that baka Inuyasha?" he repeated, frowning at her easy distraction from him, the center of her life. "He chased me away from the well yesterday," the fox stated with a pout. Kagome stifled a laugh at the surly expression on his little face and the distinct resemblance of the look to a certain inuhanyou. She ignored his question and moved toward the doorway of Kaede's hut after lifting her bag in her hand and found her friends sitting on either side of the small fire while the old miko hunched over a pot of what smelled like some sort of medicine. Probably a powerful one if the strength of the scent was any indication. Miroku nodded his greeting while Sango rose to clasp her hands and smile her welcome. They all asked politely about her family and her era, inquiring into her time spent with friends there and the like. It took Kagome a lot to keep her happy exterior while her mind was elsewhere.

Hours later Miroku had nodded off while attempting to meditate in the corner and Sango was staring somewhat dreamily through the heat of the flames at him with Kirara beside her. Shippo had opted to curl up in the neko youkai's tails and was contentedly snoozing away. Kagome sighed softly. The monk and demon slayer would be married someday soon, more than likely within a few months if their shard hunts continued to go well. With the wind tunnel closed and Sango's family avenged, the two were free to pledge the rest of their lives to one another. It was a beautiful love story with tragic beginnings and she could only pray that it ended happily ever after for her friends' sakes. They deserved it more than anyone else she knew. The tajiya noticed Kagome's quiet and somber mood and, knowing Inuyasha had not yet returned, figured that the two must have fought. "Kagome-chan, is something wrong?" she asked in a whisper, not willing to wake the monk from his nap. When the younger girl shook her head to deny it, Sango stood and led her out of the hut with her hands folded behind her back. "Come on Kagome, you know you can tell me anything."

Sighing, the young miko nodded and the two continued to walk through the darkening paths of the village. Most of the villagers were indoors already or were making preparations to do so, rounding up stray animals or children who refused to come inside. Both Kagome and her elder friend were completely oblivious to the shadow that silently stalked them from rooftop to rooftop. "He was waiting for me at the well. I didn't expect him there," she stated softly.

"He's been there almost since you left. He's very stubborn about waiting for you," Sango replied when it seemed Kagome didn't intend to say anything else. Something much more must have happened to get Kagome so down. "Did he say something rude to you?" While a man saying something rude to her would have appalled most other woman, Kagome was entirely used to it. Inuyasha was brusque and irrational sometimes and the demon slayer never quite understood how her friend put up with it all the time. The houshi might have been a womanizer and a letch but at least he was polite and never shouted at her. Kagome denied the question anyway.

"I… well I wanted to thank him for helping me out of the well since my bag was so heavy and I guess I offended him," she explained. Tears welled up in her eyes as she recalled Inuyasha's reaction, the way he'd looked at her, like she'd committed some atrocity. It didn't make much sense to her. How could one little touch have been so awful as to earn her that look and the subsequent departure of the hanyou? Her friend took her arm and set it in the crook of her own as they walked, patting her hand comfortingly. "I just touched his ear a little. He ran off after looking at me like I'd… tried to cut them off or something!" She was only becoming more upset by the minute and Sango slowed them down so Kagome would have time to calm herself. The young girl wiped her eyes roughly and sniffed a few times. "I thought he was more comfortable with me after all this time."

Sango wasn't sure what to tell the poor young miko. It was obvious that Inuyasha had either been angered by the gesture or, more than likely, embarrassed. His ears had always been a strict area of shame for the inuhanyou since he equated them with a giant sign that read 'HANYOU' hanging around his neck. He seemed to forget that he used those ears to save their lives, his own life, and that they all appreciated their sensitivity. _Sensitivity?_ The proverbial light bulb, though Sango wouldn't have known what one was, clicked on in the tajiya's head. That was it! They were sensitive to sound, what was to say they weren't to touch as well? He was very careful not to let anyone touch them and often complained if flies landed on them. Obviously he could feel a touch that small. "Maybe he liked it," she said with a small smile. Kagome stiffened and turned to look at her friend in absolute horror. Neither one heard the low growling of the shadow that continued to otherwise silently follow them through the village.

"Are you crazy? He was so angry with me!"

"Do you know that for sure?" the demon slayer questioned, slyly. She was delighting in being the one to tease her friend for once since it was usually her on the blushing end of the deal. "You've never touched them before so who's to say one way or the other? Inuyasha was probably just startled and didn't know how to deal with it." Sango wasn't anticipating her friend's soft sob. "Kagome-chan?"

She had to suck in a deep breath to keep her tears at bay. "He must hate me! If they are sensitive like you say, he must think I'm horrible for trying to touch them, and without permission too!" Kagome had herself all worked up without much help from anyone. She was so sure that Inuyasha was never going to speak to her again, she nearly ran toward the well in hopes that she could make amends by never showing her face in the Sengoku Jidai again. The way Sango suggested her touch might have appeared to Inuyasha, she had more or less sexually assaulted the hanyou and there was almost nothing less forgivable than that in Kagome's mind. Ripping herself from her friend's side the young woman made her way toward the clearing where the well stood, nearly stumbling several times in her dash. Sango cried out to her but she didn't turn. Nothing could stop her as she finally made it to the well and threw herself in. She only barely heard the panicked shout of a certain silver-haired, puppy-eared hanyou as the time warp stole her off to the future. Once on the other side she sat at the bottom of the well for a few moments to catch her breath before she had to haul herself out.

Her heartbeat continued to race and her breathing remained ragged even as she sat numbly on the stairs that lead up to the door of the well shrine. _How could I have been so stupid?_ she thought with a shake of her head. _I've ruined everything. There's no way he'll trust me anymore._ Kagome bit back more tears and tried in vain to stop herself from panting for breath. She hadn't known that something like this would happen, she'd just wanted to thank him for his help and scratching his ear had felt like a good plan at the time. Now she wished she'd never even thought of it. The young miko noticed the slight tingle in her skin before the well activated and a red-clad figure flung itself over the lip to land near her. Stifling a scream at his sudden appearance, Kagome cowered against the stairs and held in the sudden urge to run. "Kagome…" He sounded breathless and angry. Why had he chased her here? "What are you doing?" he bit out, obviously frustrated when she wouldn't look at him. Kagome slowly uncurled and looked up at the beads that hung around his neck, unable to look him in the eye.

"I… I'm sorry Inuyasha. I didn't mean to upset you," she whispered. She didn't know if Sango's interpretation was correct but most of her hoped desperately that it wasn't. The young woman was startled when he dropped into a crouch near her and frowned a little at her. It was only when she cried that he gave her that look. "I'll stay here a while if that's what you want."

"Is that what you want?" he growled back. What was the crazy woman thinking? There was no way he was going to let her stay in her time now after she'd been gone three days already. He'd been completely lost without her, though he could hardly admit it to himself, and not having her near for another three days at the very least would chip away at his sanity. He'd heard what the slayer had told her and it was frightening how dead on she'd been. _Woman's been studying youkai too long,_ he grumbled mentally. Kagome's touch had excited an often suppressed emotion in him that he rarely let himself explore. He couldn't afford it when she was usually nearby and her scent was so enticing. Having her touch his ear, even the tiniest bit, had nearly brought him to his knees. "It ain't how you think Kagome," he muttered when she didn't answer him. She looked confused but remained silent. "I'm not mad."

"I shouldn't have…"

"Keh. Doesn't matter, onna. Let's get back. We're leaving in the morning for that village east of the letch's master's temple and you gotta be rested 'cause I'm not carrying your ass the whole way." She sniffed a few times but said nothing in response. He could tell she still thought he was upset with her because she didn't budge from the stairs nor look him in the eye. "Kagome, look at me." When she wouldn't, he reached out and hooked her chin with his forefinger. "I'm not mad," he repeated. The fat tears in her eyes made it obvious that she didn't believe him. While he wanted to make sure she knew he wasn't angry with her about the ear thing, he couldn't exactly tell her the truth. _Sure thing… Kagome, try not to touch my ears too much 'cause then I'll probably try to jump you on the spot, _he thought bitterly, _that'd go over well._ The hanyou scowled slightly, more at himself than anything. "Stop worrying about it," he muttered, trying not to blush as he considered his real desires. Kagome would more than likely sit him to oblivion if she knew the depths of his imagination.

After several minutes he finally convinced her to come back through the well though she refused to let him carry her or help her out. Making their way back to the village in silence Inuyasha noticed how she put just enough distance between them to be polite without making it obvious that she was avoiding being too close. Brushing it off as her continued upset, upset he could do nothing about at the moment, he set off at a steady pace for Kaede's hut. The inuhanyou didn't realize until the next morning that the distance Kagome was placing between them was going to continue. Thinking she would calm down soon enough he said nothing about the change in behavior until nearly three days had gone by and she had yet to come near enough to him to do anything more than hand him a steaming cup of ramen. Inuyasha didn't know how deeply it was affecting him until he found himself next to her sleeping form, softly sniffing her scent and restraining himself from touching her. Not in any dirty way of course, just have contact with her, feel her warmth against his skin. She touched him often on a regular basis and not having her near him was almost physically painful. Why had he never noticed how much he took her gentle touch for granted? Watching her sleep, he saw a tear slip down her cheek and into her hair. _Kagome…_

The fact that she was hurting over this, that she thought he was so angry with her, made his heart ache. He hated her tears more than anything and he hardly registered himself slowly lifting her out of her sleeping bag and pulling her into his arms. She snuggled closer unconsciously, her scent wrapping around him in its normal comforting manner. Without another thought he stood and smuggled his precious burden out of the campsite in silence. She barely stirred, completely trusting him to care for her, even in her sleep. Once they were out of earshot of the others, Inuyasha gently shook Kagome awake, stifling her startled yelp with a hand. "It's just me," he whispered.

"Inuyasha…" She struggled to pull from his arms, that same broken and fearful look in her eyes that he'd been silently loathing the last few days. He was having none of it. She couldn't get away from him now, not when he was finally determined to tell her the truth about his ears. She had to stop this nonsense or it was going to drive him absolutely crazy! "What's going on?" she questioned him when he very obviously wouldn't let her out of his embrace. Her eyes had taken on a panicked look that he didn't like in the least.

Slowly, so there was no question about what he intended, he lowered his head. Kagome gasped softly, choking on something close to a sob. He was offering her his ears. The young miko could hardly believe it. She'd been trying desperately to keep from touching him at all the last few days and giving her the opportunity to touch his ears like this… If Sango was correct, then he was more or less offering himself to her. Could she accept his offer knowing he might not mean it? Maybe Sango was wrong and he had just been upset about her touching his ears because he didn't like them touched and she hadn't asked. Practically against her will, one hand rose to softly touch the proffered and twitching ear. It was supple beneath her fingertips, light hairs lining the inside while soft fur covered the outside. Kagome couldn't be sure but she thought she could feel the ear quivering beneath the pads of her fingers. Her feeling strengthened when Inuyasha leaned heavily against her, his nose nestling in the curve of her throat. Then she felt the most amazing thing in the world. A silent rumble vibrated through Inuyasha's chest and tingled her skin wherever they touched. "Unh," he groaned as his mouth opened just enough to release his panting breath against her shoulder.

Pulling her hand away from his ear, startled by his reaction, Kagome took a deep shuddering breath of her own. "Are you alright?" she whispered. He didn't respond in words but tightened his arms around her. She was too shocked to try and fight his hold again. At length he nodded that he was fine and Kagome closed her eyes as his body seemed to become more relaxed against her. Warmth, comfort and security flooded her, her heart fluttering faintly. Was this what it was like to be loved by Inuyasha? His trust in her, something she'd thought she'd lost forever, was amazing to her. Something beautiful and precious. A man who had been mistreated his whole life, who had never trusted anyone after his mother died, trusted her with this softer side of him. The young miko also wanted his love but she wasn't sure he felt could give it. Losing your mother when you had barely reached six years old and being chased and hunted almost every day since then. Losing your first love to death and betrayal, finding her reincarnated before you knew she was dead, and having her resurrected as a lifelike clay doll had to mess with a person emotionally. Inuyasha was all the stronger for not having done himself in years ago. Of course, Kagome knew all this and knew also that he cared for her in some small way. It may not have been the way she had hoped for, but if it was all she ever got she had long since resolved herself to be content with that. "You didn't have to let me touch them if you didn't want me to," she finally murmured.

"You haven't touched me in days," he replied, his words muffled against her shoulder. Kagome frowned slightly but felt him take a deep breath as though to speak and remained silent. "I was starting to go crazy. Do you realize how often you normally touch me everyday?" he asked in a slightly awed tone, as if he hardly believed it himself. The young woman still clutched a little desperately in his arms stiffened in embarrassment. Now that she allowed herself to think about it, she did put them in contact quite a bit. Whether it was getting his attention, bandaging or checking a wound, waking him from a rare nap, handing him food, keeping him from going after Shippo, Miroku or a random villager, riding on his back, asking for help standing or letting him think she was asleep when he carried her... she touched Inuyasha a great deal more than she ever thought about. She had always been "touchy-feely" and so it only came naturally to Kagome to let him and the others know she cared about them all a great deal by touch. To her it wasn't strange but she realized it had to be a bit much for all the others who weren't used to it. Close contact, practically intimate on some levels, was not very welcome during that time period and she often forgot that.

"Sorry… I guess I do it without thinking. I'll try to remember…"

"No! Don't you get it Kagome?" he said in a loud whisper. Frowning at the faintly panicked look in his eyes, Kagome stared, waiting for him to continue. "When you don't you're usually mad at me. I hate that feeling more than anything, even more than being sat! I-I need you to…" He trailed off as though realizing for the first time what he was saying. The poor hanyou's face became just a little paler and his amber eyes were wide in his face. Ears flipped back, Kagome knew he was shocked by the words that had come out of his mouth, as though someone else had had control of it for a moment. Suddenly his resolve hardened and he set his jaw. "Touch is nearly as important to inuyoukai as scent and when you don't touch me it makes me feel twitchy," he admitted. The young miko in his lap gaped at him, surprised by the honesty and the insight into the world he so rarely showed anyone.

It obviously shocked Kagome to hear the truth and while part of him wanted to take it back, the majority of his mind was made up to make sure she understood the full extent of her effect on him. Inuyasha was tired of holding back his own reactions to her when she did something unknowingly. "But I thought you hated it when I touched you. You always yell at me when I get too close," she cried. He snorted softly and turned his eyes away for a moment to collect his thoughts.

"You don't understand Kagome. Half the time you're confusing me with different signals." At her confused look he sighed. "Like this," he mumbled, gently pulling her toward him where she naturally rested against his chest. He knew what would come next like he knew his own heartbeat. Hardly a moment later she relaxed and softly nuzzled her nose into his sternum. "See, right there." Startled, Kagome sat back with a jerk and nearly slammed her head into Inuyasha's chin. "What you did right there. An inuyoukai's mate will do that when she's… satisfied with him." The widening of Kagome's eyes was nearly comical, but Inuyasha wasn't laughing. She had to understand everything or he was going to tear something apart. "You don't realize that you do that when we're traveling and I carry you or when you're cold and I hold you. Maybe it's not the same to you, but that's what I think every time." Tears welled in her eyes and the inuhanyou sighed. "It's not a bad thought, it's just not the way things are and that's... confusing," he explained.

"I'm so sorry. I never knew. I just…" Kagome sniffed and glanced away. "I like the way you smell, it makes me feel safe."

"Exactly! Mates…" Seeing her flinch at the word, Inuyasha paused. Why did him saying that have such a strong effect on her? Perhaps the idea of being his mate repulsed her. But then she wouldn't be so persistent in remaining close to him, she wouldn't fight to show him being a hanyou was ok in her eyes and she would never have kissed him in Kaguya's castle. Then what was it about the word that made her cringe and made tears fill her eyes? "Kagome?"

She sniffed several times, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. She felt like such a baby for crying. She had been so strong before and now she was reduced to a puddle of sorrow and pain. It twisted like a knife in her heart every time he mentioned her actions and the fact that only the mate of an inuhanyou or inuyoukai would act in such a way. Whether he knew it or not he was repeatedly reminding her that it was something she would never be a part of and certainly not with him. His choice had been made long before she ever even entered the picture and without him she had no intention of such a future. "Tell me when I do something like that. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable." Her head hung until her chin nearly touched her chest.

Was she just being stubborn or did she really not understand what he was trying to tell her? By the scent that hung around her it seemed that she didn't understand much of anything at the moment. "Kagome, you're not listening," he grumbled.

"What is there to listen to? I've been coming onto you the last couple of years and I didn't even know it and I practically tried to… to grope you or something the other day! I'm surprised you didn't throw me down the well again and close it for good." She was sobbing all out, her face turned away so she couldn't see the pained look on her hanyou's face.

"Is that what you've been thinking?" he asked incredulously. "That I thought you groped me like the letch?"

Kagome's form seemed to crumple further in on itself, confirming the answer to his question. "Obviously you don't want that from me and I've always known that. I didn't realize I was doing it, honest, and I won't do it anymore, just don't make me leave," she whimpered while tucking her chin against her shoulder.

The gentle tug of a finger on her jaw had her turning toward Inuyasha, though her eyes remained closed in her anguish. A firm pressure was applied to her lips and it took her several seconds to understand that Inuyasha was kissing her. When it finally clicked she gasped slightly and pulled away just enough to breathe. "I would die." She didn't understand his words but his mouth was suddenly on her own once more, making her forget he'd even said anything. His lips were warm, perhaps a little dry at first, but firm. He seemed determined to make her kiss him back though she needed little encouragement. Inuyasha moved his lips in a slow rhythm against hers, gently persuading her lips open. Kagome complied without realizing it and was faintly startled when his tongue slipped from his mouth and carefully touched her lower lip. "Kagome," he mumbled when he pulled away for a moment to suck in a deep breath through his nose. She realized he was scenting her and hoped that he didn't notice the effect his kisses had on her. That would be just too embarrassing. A faintly feral grin slid onto his lips and Kagome realized that her hopes were already in jeopardy. A fierce blush rose on her cheeks and she glanced away slightly. "Look at me Kagome," came the soft growl.

That she was embarrassed by her own body made a lot of what she'd said and done recently clear to him. Inuyasha smiled faintly. So naive, so beautiful, and so deliciously aroused by his kisses. If only she'd known how long he'd been fighting off the very same reaction to her. And all she had done was be herself. When she wouldn't look at him Inuyasha caught her cheek in his hand and brought her eyes back up to his face. "Inu…"

"Shh… Just listen a second. I don't want you to stop what you do because then you wouldn't be you. That's the last thing I want." She took a shuddering breath but didn't avert her eyes. "If this is all too much for you, if you don't want to touch me anymore now that you know what it means, then you need to tell me now." Brown eyes widened as they stared at him in shock. Did that mean he didn't mind that she touched him like that, perhaps even wanted her to? Kagome felt her mind jumble with possibilities. Could Inuyasha really want her?

"Inuyasha…" she whispered in awe. "Does that mean you don't mind?" Her voice was tiny and his ears flipped forward to catch her words properly. How could she doubt what he wanted? He'd offered her his ears, let her touch them, kissed her just like he'd always wanted to and finally explained to her how much he needed her to touch him every day. How could there be any question in her mind? But he hadn't been this honest with her the last few years and so it made sense for her to doubt his sudden change of heart. Did she worry that he was simply humoring her, giving her what he thought she wanted? When he nodded resolutely she flung her arms around his neck and clung to him tightly as he laughed softly.

"Silly woman," he murmured affectionately.


End file.
